Power electronics modules are semiconductor modules used in power electronics circuitry. Power electronics modules are employed typically in vehicular, rail and industrial applications, for example in inverters or rectifiers. They likewise find application in the form of energy generation and transmission. The semiconductor components contained in the power electronics modules may involve e.g. semiconductor chips including an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), a metal oxide field-effect transistor (MOSFET), a junction field-effect transistor (JFET), a thyristor, or a diode. These semiconductor chips may vary as to their voltage and current handling capacity.
In many semiconductor modules, the semiconductor chips are arranged on a flat, metallized ceramic-based insulating substrate, as the difference between the coefficients of thermal expansion of typical semiconductor materials and ceramics is less than the difference between the coefficients of thermal expansion of typical semiconductor materials and metal. Further advantages of ceramics are the dielectric strength and the good thermal conductivity.
So as to dissipate the waste heat generated by the semiconductor chips, in many modules the insulating substrate is soldered to a metallic base plate. However, the thermomechanical stress caused by thermal cycling of the semiconductor chips causes cracks in particular between the solder and the substrate. Therefore, there is a need for an improved semiconductor module, and for a method for producing an improved semiconductor module.